Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-15
THE SH0pLIFTERS.
NEW YORKS BIG DRY GOODS HOUSES
ORGANIZING AGAINST THEM.
THO Great Need of q General Detective
Bureau-lIistaiIcs Made by Amateur
Plan of Operations.


Bureau-5Iistaiscs Made by Amateur
Detectives Evils to be Avoided.
Plan of Operations.
Storekeepers on tho principal shopping
thoroughfares are talking of forming pro-
tective agency against the swarm of pick
pockets and shopliftors who have reaped a
rich harvest during the busy seasons for
several years past. Each year they seem to
grow more numerous and expert, and al
though one or two arrests are made daily,
hundreds of these "crooks" boldly pursue
their vocation without fear of detection. A
| junior member of one of the largest retail
dry goods houses on Fourteenth street com
plained TO q reporter the other day Of the
lack of police protection afforded store
keepers.
During the holiday season. he said, "de-
tectiges are employed in all the large stores.
This is done by the proprietors more for their
own protection than that of their customers.
| Customers are supposed TO take care of them
selves and their property For the most part
the detectives are hired from private detec-
tive agencies While they are conscientious
| in the discharge of their duty, they generally
lack knowledge of their business. In the
first place they know by sight only few of
the notorious thieves ANY smart shoplifter
can pick out detective after sauntering
around store once The private detective
usually is too ofiicious and if lady happens
to pick up a lace collar or piece of silk for
examination, Mr.. Detective is at her elbow in
| a moment. and any one can see that tho lady
is being watched. Quite often arrests arc
made by mistake, and this is brought about
solely on account of the detectives ignorance
of the people he is dealing with
1t is rare thing for Central office detec-
tive to make any such blunder Unli:o the
private detective, he generally knows every
shopliftcr in the city, and a customer who is
careless enough to carry lace collar or pair
of gloves away from one of the counters to-
| wards the door, not to steal the article, but
simply to see how it looks in daylight would
not be grabbed by the arm and hurried off to
the station house. But VIC cannot get the de-
tectiYe sergeants from Inspector Byrncss
office to perambulate our stores all day, and
we have to employ private detectives. OF
course, do not mean to be understood that
none of these men are competent. Many Of
them are, but the supply of competent ones is
not sufficient and never viii be. In few
stores one or two smart clerks are used as de-
tectives. but they do not fill the bill The re-
suit of all this is a great loss TO us. It is not
50 much what is stolen from the counters, but
il is the loss to customers of their pocketbooks
and very often the hasty arrests by the detec-
tiveS. In this we have lost a number of good
customers.
EVILS TO BE AVOIDED.
If lady goes home and tells her husband
that she lost her pocketbook in such and such
a store, her lord and master is ready to swear
that some thieving clerk has stolen it and
forbids her dealing there any more. Again,
if a lady is arrested by mistake and sub
jected to the indignity of being searched, the
chances are ten to one that the newspapers
pitch into us and a suit for damages is begun
by the injured lady. All her friends take
their trade to some other house. Now, the
relief that is proposed is this: An association
of all the principal retailers of dry goods is to
be formed and an Independent detective
agency organized There will be a central
Office for our detectives, where will be Kept
the pictures of all shoplifters and crooks, not
only OF this city, but of all others throughout
the country There will also be on file list
of the arrests of shoplifters for ten years past,
with brief sketch of the criminals. At the
| head of our detective agency will be an in
spector, and we intend getting the best man
in the business.
THE detectives will he changed from one
store to another each week, and in this way
they will become familiar with the regular
customers of dry goods stores and there will
he less chance for mistakes. There will be
something else done besides watching the
counters and customers will not miss their
purses so often l do not see how such a sys-
tern can fail TO result il big Improvement
7 over the present detective service in the
stores. Take any large public demonstration
where score of pickpockets mix i'll the
throng, and you will find that the inspectors
: of police are there with their men, and that if
hand is Slipped into some one else's pocket
the intruder is nabbed in an instant You
never hear CT the wrong man being arrested,
simply because the inspectors and their de-
tectives know how to work III venture to
saw that when 4 Central office detective really
means to act ON the square he can do more
good work than any five private detectives.
1t is high time the men engaged in our busi-
ness realized the situation. The plan have
proposed would cost less to all of us. and
every one would be better pleased. We have
had it under consideration for several weeks
and | have no doubt that it will be effected
without further delay New York nai
and Express